Attorney Confident Zimmerman Jury Seated Soon

Court spokesman Michelle Kennedy, however, said a tally she had received from the judge put the number of potential jurors called back at 28.

Of the 29 candidates, 19 are white; six are black; two are Hispanic; one describes himself as mixed race; and one is Asian-American. The racial and ethnic makeup of potential jurors is relevant because prosecutors claim Zimmerman profiled Martin when he followed him through his gated community shortly before the unarmed teen was fatally shot. The case prompted public outrage, as some critics believed authorities initially didn’t investigate the case thoroughly because Martin was a black teen from the Miami area. Zimmerman identifies himself as Hispanic.

Many potential jurors asked to return were female and middle-aged.

A potential juror was dismissed from consideration and ordered not to come back to the courthouse until after the trial after he complained about the jury process outside the assembly room Friday. During questioning on Thursday, the judge asked the potential juror — a self-described musician and painter — if he had posted on Facebook about the case and he replied yes. He was told he could leave the courtroom a short time later.

Defense investigators were able to uncover the Facebook posting by the dismissed juror. O’Mara said he was worried about possible “stealth jurors,” who want to sit on the jury with ulterior motives.